The present invention relates to a package and in particular to a package for a suncream.
The invention has been developed primarily for use with suncreams or other forms of sun screening creams and will be described hereinafter with reference to that particular application. It will be appreciated that the invention is not limited to that field of use and is also applicable to other skin care products. In this regard it should be noted that the term xe2x80x9csuncreamxe2x80x9d as used herein is intended to include any preparation intended for application to the skin of humans and which has:
a sun screening factor; or
the ability to reduce the intensity of ultraviolet (UV) radiation that would otherwise be incident upon the skin; or
a soothing or healing effect to skin which has become xe2x80x9csun burntxe2x80x9d or otherwise damaged due to exposure or over exposure to UV of other radiation.
Accordingly, this term encompasses after sun preparations, sun blocking creams, barrier creams or the like, whether or not these are intended for direct use as a suncream or whether contained within a cosmetic preparation.
Hitherto, sun creams or other skin care products have been packaged in conventional plastic or glass bottles to provide a convenient trasportable reservoir of the cream. Often such bottles will carry information about the sun protection factor (SPF) offered by the cream or product contained within. The person or persons intending to use the cream as an impediment against skin damage caused by the sun""s rays, and more particularly by UV radiation, can use this information as a guide to the level of protection offered to their skin by the cream However, SPF information is neither readily understood nor properly used by a significant percentage of the population and does not provide anything other than rudimentary information on the circumstances in which the cream will be beneficial.
It is an object of the present invention, at least in the preferred embodiment, to overcome or substantially ameliorate one or more disadvantages of the prior art.
According to the invention there is provided a package for suncream including:
at least one sidewall for defining a cavity to contain the suncream;
display means being, integral with the sidewall for changing colour to indicate to a person that one or more predetermined ambient conditions warrant the application of the suncream to the person""s skin; and
an opening in the sidewall for allowing removal of the suncream from the cavity.
Preferably, one of the predetermined ambient conditions includes the intensity of UV-radiation incident upon the display means. More preferably, the display means includes a photochromic material.
In other preferred embodiments, one of the predetermined ambient conditions includes the temperature of the display means. Preferably also, in such embodiments the display means includes a thermochromic material.
In a preferred form the display means is integrated with the sidewall with adhesive.
Preferably, the opening is selectively closeable by a lid, wherein the lid is coloured to correspond with the colour taken by the display means when indicating that suncream should be applied to the user""s skin More preferably, the lid is rotatably mounted to the sidewall for movement between an open and a closed configuration.
In a preferred form, the package includes an outer surface area which is greater than the surface area of the display means.
Preferably, the display means includes a region of the sidewall and a multi-coloured strip which is located adjacent to that region for indicating which of the colours taken by the region correspond to a high intensity of UV radiation. More preferably, the strip is adhered to the outer surface.
Preferably also, the package is formed from a plastic material, the material being mixed prior to moulding with a predetermined quantity of a photochromic dye such that the display means includes the outer surface area of the sidewall.